After working as a digital artist for the movie, "Die Hard: With a Vegeance" in 1995, McKee eventually moved on to the sets of "Michael," starring John Travolta, and "The Ghost and the Darkness," starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer.

McKee said his first big break was when he was asked to be the compositing supervisor for 1997’s "Contact," starring Jodie Foster.

He explained that a compositing supervisor is responsible for setting up challenging scenes.

Those involved in composite work must project computer-generated images on to a blue or black background to make a movies graphics seem as realistic as possible.

"That’s (working as a compositing supervisor) when I really began to understand the technical side of things much more," McKee said.

"You’d be surprised at how much goes in to a big-budget motion picture. Most of the time, the people’s names you see in the list of credits at the end of the show doesn’t begin to account for everyone who played a role in that movie."

Later on, McKee worked on other movies ranging from "Charlie’s Angels" to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone."

In Harry Potter, he took care of color and lighting.

After working on the Charlie’s Angels’ sequel "Full Throttle," McKee headed back to school: sort of.

In 2004, McKee found himself on the DreamWorks Studio campus who said the experience was a lot like college.

"There’s so many people who work there, you really think you’re on a school campus," McKee said. "It was, and still is, an incredible experience to be surrounded by so many talented people on a daily basis."

DreamWorks, which is well-known for its advancements in animation, has been belting out hits for the last few years.

McKee’s first film he worked on at DreamWorks was 2004’s "Shark Tale." More recently he worked as a lead lighter for the 2006 release "Flushed Away."

McKee’s most-current project, "Bee Movie," just wrapped production a few days ago.

The tentative November release, which features the voices of Jerry Seinfield and Renée Zwellweger, takes place in a beehive.

The hive serves as a city where all the bees perform there various daily tasks.

Although it’s an animated film, McKee played an integral role in creating the lighting and look for the inner elements of the beehive.

His boss, computer-graphic supervisor Mike McNeil said his accomplishments on the film wouldn’t go unnoticed by moviegoers.

"A lot of the scenes feature shots that he and his team were responsible for developing and executing," McNeil said. "He’s an amazing talent who will continue to move up the ranks."

McNeil finds it ironic the two share a common bond: the South.

McNeil, who worked on "Twister" and "Madagascar," said he grew up in Mobile, Ala., just a few hours away from McKee.

"We’re both from the same general area," McNeil said. "It was interesting when we met and were able to talk about things that both of us could relate to."

GETTING A CHANCE

McKee doesn’t want to paint the wrong picture, but he said Hollywood is one of the few places left where someone with a limited portfolio can excel.

He described a system where people from all stages of the film industry can mentor others to help advance their careers.

"I’m not saying it’s easy, but I believe you can be successful out here if you work hard enough," McKee said.

McKee credits lots of people for his rise through the ranks.

While he’s counted on others to help put him in numerous positions, he said it has been up to him to succeed in those roles.

McKee described his typical work day for animation movies like "Bee Movie" as consisting of between 14-16 hours.

Saturday work is not uncommon for McKee during the course of production.

"It takes a lot of time to make things right," McKee said. "But when you get to take your kids to the movies and describe to them how you contributed to a film, it’s all worth it."

The most-interesting thing about working at DreamWorks is having the ability to see future projects in their formative stages.

"Not many people get to do this," he said. "I know I’m blessed. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for animation."

GOOD MEMORIES

After production wraps on a movie, McKee tries to take a few weeks to re-energize before moving on to his next project. As he looks out from the balcony of his home in the hills surrounding Hollywood, he never forgets where he came from.

"I think about Houma more than you would imagine," he said. "I met and have stayed friends with a lot of great people there."

His thoughts usually involve swamps and fishing, which he loves.

Although he hasn’t been back home since 2000, McKee hopes he can plan a trip to south Louisiana in the near future.

"I want to bring my kids there," the father of two girls said. "I still have family and friends there that I would really like to visit."

Despite living a long distance from his hometown, McKee said he still keeps up with the going-ons in Houma.

"I look up things online all the time," he said. "I guess the thing I’m most interested in now are the levees in that area. I keep up with Morganza and all those issues. It really is sad that there’s not more happening to help those people that continue to deal with flooding from storms."

MAKING HIS FAMILY PROUD

While McKee’s parents have since uprooted from south Louisiana for the Atlantic seaboard of Connecticut, he still keeps close ties to his boyhood hometown.

Before heading off to college, McKee would spend lots of time at Helen and Bob Theriot’s Houma home.

McKee was friends with the Theriot’s son, Jamie, who now owns his own restaurant, Smoke, located on the outskirts of Aspen, Colo.

Bob Theriot remembers the two palling around in their youth.

"They were really good friends," Bob Theriot said.

According to Bob Theriot, he knew McKee was destined for something else after seeing him return from a roofing job one day.

"He looked dead at me and my wife and said his mom and dad didn’t have to worry about him studying hard when he was in college because he didn’t want to do that the rest of his life," Bob Theriot said with a laugh. "He was a hard-working, intelligent kid, so I knew he possessed the qualities to be successful in whatever he pursued."

Helen Theriot said she and her husband opened up their home to him after he finished high school.

"His parents moved to Connecticut, and he wanted to stay in Houma before he headed up there," she said. "He was such a great guy to be around. I’ll be honest, if he would have told me and Bob he wanted to stay here throughout college, I would have gladly kept him here. It’s great to know he’s doing well for himself."

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